PM has long emphasised on need to take foreign policy out of Delhi: Foreign secy

The bilateral meeting in Kashi is a manifestation of the prime minister’s wish to take diplomacy and foreign policy out of Delhi, says Vikram Misri

VARANASI Foreign secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long emphasised on the need to take the foreign policy out of Delhi, and diplomacy out of Delhi, therefore, Kashi was chosen for the bilateral meeting between India and Mauritius.

Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolamin in a meeting with foreign secretary Vikram Misri, in Varanasi on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

“The bilateral meeting in Kashi is a manifestation of the PM’s wish to take diplomacy and foreign policy out of Delhi,” he said in response to a query - why Kashi was chosen for the bilateral meeting as such meetings usually take place in Delhi.

“The PM has long emphasised on the need to take foreign policy out of Delhi, and the need to take diplomacy out of Delhi, because we are talking about the foreign policy, not of Delhi, not of one particular city, but the foreign policy of the country...” Misri said addressing a special MEA briefing on the Mauritius Prime Minister’s visit.

“We have had presence of international leaders in other cities in India, in other centres in India, and perhaps we may not have had stand-alone bilateral visits in different parts of the country, but it is something that has been very close to the Prime Minister’s heart. He has underlined this issue for some time and I think this is a manifestation of that for him to want to see a visit such as this take place in a different part of the country,” added the foreign secretary.

Misri also discussed the outcomes of the bilateral meeting and India’s decision to offer a special economic package to Mauritius.

He said, “One of the major outcomes of this visit is our decision to offer a special economic package to Mauritius. This covers multiple elements, including development of the port of Port Louis, development and assistance for surveillance of the Chagos Marine Protected area, blended financial assistance in the form of grants and a line of credit for major projects...”